Innovative Two-Week Residency Begins Jan. 8

Gilbert is the inaugural artist for the 4Front: Innovation from All Angles residency sponsored by the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation and focused on creating groundbreaking contemporary art using glass. The Foundation will produce a 45-minute documentary film about the project and the residency.

In her residency project, Laboring, Gilbert will cast body parts of members from the Hampton Roads community. She will blow glass into these corporeal molds, creating a sculptural patchwork of the community. The public is welcome to participate in this interactive project by having a piece of their skin cast January 8 – 22 from 1 – 2 p.m. Groups can schedule free castings by appointment at (757) 333-6299.

Gilbert will offer free narrated glass demonstrations at noon January 8 – 12 and January 15 – 19 and will be the featured artist at the Glass Studio’s Third Thursday event on January 16 from 7 – 10 p.m. Third Thursday events are free for Museum members and $5 for the general public. Gilbert will conclude the residency with a free lecture with Q & A on January 22 from 7 – 10 p.m.

Gilbert is an artist and educator based in Portland, Ore. She is currently visiting assistant professor of art at Reed College, as well as adjunct faculty in applied craft and design, a master of fine arts program offered jointly between Oregon College of Art and Craft and Pacific Northwest College of Art. She is a graduate of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work spans a wide range of materials and processes, including glassblowing, new media, casting, film, photography, and embroidery.

The Robert M. Minkoff Foundation (rmmfoundation.org), a 501(c) (3) organization, is focused on furthering the use of glass in the field of contemporary art and advancing technical knowledge about glass art process. The foundation invests not only in residencies and educational projects, but in disseminating important new developments. For more information on the 4Front Residency program visit 4frontresidency.org.

Founded in 1939 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, the Chrysler Museum of Art combines one of America's great fine arts museums, two significant historic houses and a Glass Studio, the only one of its kind on the East Coast. In addition to maintaining a distinguished permanent collection of over 30,000 objects spanning nearly 5,000 years of history, the Chrysler Museum offers a comprehensive program of changing exhibitions and education activities for visitors of all ages. The Chrysler Museum is currently closed for a major expansion and will reopen in spring 2014. The Moses Myers House and the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio are open. The Glass Studio is open Wednesday through Sunday and is located at 745 Duke Street in Norfolk. To learn more about the Chrysler Museum, visit chrysler.org or call (757) 664-6200.